CARgo: A new way to go

Serious about accessories: Sold-separately accessories from companies that focus elsewhere tend to be generic, non-descript and sideline businesses at best.

And so we are pleasantly surprised by GPS maker TomTom’s new High Speed Multi-Charger, ostensibly designed to keep its GPS products charged during intense road use but with enough versatility that TomTom may have opened its floodgates to an entirely new business.

The product charges three devices simultaneously, providing two USB charging ports and a 12-volt cigarette lighter adapter port. It’ll keep the GPS juiced up while providing power to a mobile phone and another USB-compatible device. One of the USB ports is a fast charger, providing 2.1 amps for a quicker uptick on big devices such as the iPad. And, of course, the product is compatible with the entire stable of TomTom GPS products, which really is the point, is it not? There are many companies whose sole purpose is to create unique and innovative car chargers and profit accordingly. TomTom’s new charger will undoubtedly edge in on some of that action. $35; visit tomtom.com.

Curtain rises on augmented reality: Readers unwilling to contemplate cutting-edge technology should stop reading now. The Wikitude Drive app, only available for Android phones, uses something called “augmented reality” to deliver GPS navigation in a manner never before seen.

The software makes use of the actual road ahead by utilizing the Android phone’s camera. Wikitude Drive augments the reality of the photographic view by adding navigation data on top of the road image. So, when following the navigation path in street view, you will actually see the street ahead with a graphical indicator as to which way to go. The product utilizes NAVTEQ data in order to also provide points of interest, all of which pop up in new and innovative ways on the augmented reality platform. Only recently available in Canada, the product is technically still in beta form, and the technology is a long way from perfection. But it’s worth getting a taste of the future. We just wish that Wikitude’s marketing department could have used some of that augmented reality magic to improve on its mediocre marketing imagery. $14; visit wikitude.com.